"What really matters is what you like, not what you are like"

A side effect of listening to music too long are reduced ability to concentrate and reduced attention and focus. Extensive and intensive listening ultimately leads to snobbism. "Snobbism is an inextricable mixture of pride and meanness" wrote René Girard, a French-American historian, literary critic and philosopher. This is not just applicable to high culture, it's also applicable for popular culture. In the hilarious book "High Fidelity" by Nick Hornby, the record store owner and his two employees agree that "What really matters is what you like, not what you are like". I'm not free from guilt. Sometimes, when someone asks me about my obscure music taste, I can say diminishing things like "it's an aquired taste" or "it's not for everyone" or "there is nothing for you here". Other times, I'm more helpful and instructive. "Think about a breed between Hank Williams and Nick Cave". However, in most cases this doesn't work. People don't understand the reference. They don't know who Hank Williams was or who Nick Cave is. In the worst case scenario, they don't know about any of them. You are back to square one. I have a very strong suspicion towards people that don't listen to music (in general) and people pretending to listen to music (in particular) and furthermore have bad musical taste when forced to say something. This is not mere snobbism. It's a coping strategy.